


Another Kind of Transformation

by enigmaticblue



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Crack, F/M, Fluff, Genderswap, M/M, Trope Bingo Round 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-17
Updated: 2014-09-17
Packaged: 2018-02-17 17:08:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2316965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enigmaticblue/pseuds/enigmaticblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Asgardians, man. They have the worst practical jokes. Either that, or the best sex toys. Depends on your point of view, really.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Another Kind of Transformation

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the trope_bingo prompt "genderswap." I don't think this requires any warnings, but just know that while the biology may have changed, sex hasn't.

It starts as just another day. Alien threat to New York City, Avengers assemble, and so forth. The only thing really notable about the call to assemble is that Bruce isn’t needed, so he hangs back with the SHIELD support personnel.

 

Really, he could have stayed at the Tower, but he actually feels a vested interest in the team these days, and he wants to be on hand in case something happens that does require the Other Guy.

 

Also, with Tony in the midst of the action, Bruce wants to be sure he’s okay, especially given their deal—no one gives Tony CPR other than Bruce.

 

And supposedly vice versa, but Bruce doesn’t expect to need CPR any time soon.

 

“Oh, fuck,” Tony says over the coms. “We may have a slight problem.”

 

“What problem?” Agent Blake demands. “Talk to me, Stark.”

 

“Bad guy of the week just blasted Cap, and he’s not getting up,” Tony says. “We might need Bruce for this one.”

 

Bruce is already pulling off his shoes. Clothes are relatively cheap, but he’s just managed to break this pair in. “Tell Tony I’ll be there ASAP.”

 

He’s running out of the back of the van in the next moment, in his socks, heading for the scene. He wants to wait until he gets close to transform, since he’d rather not be around SHIELD agents when he does so.

 

The Other Guy has finally (mostly) accepted the other Avengers as friends; Bruce can’t say the same thing for random SHIELD agents.

 

He’s nearly upon the Avengers’ last known position when he’s hit with something, and it’s—oddly enough—not anger he feels, but surprise. It hurts, but not like turning into the Other Guy does. Bruce is knocked off his feet, and he feels the impact of the pavement against his back, and he gets the wind knocked out of him. The back of his head hits the street, and he grays out.

 

When he wakes up, Tony’s calling his name with increasing desperation. “Bruce, come on. Wake up for me.”

 

Bruce draws in a sharp breath and tries to open his eyes. “Oh, God. Everything hurts.” His voice sounds a little strange to his ears, but he chalks that up to the possible concussion.

 

There’s a long moment of silence. “Uh, yeah, about that.”

 

Bruce’s eyes fly open. “About what?”

 

“Well, it turns out that our alien friends had some Asgardian tech. Thor thinks it will wear off. Eventually. Hopefully. I can work on it.”

 

Bruce frowns, noting that Tony’s voice is higher than normal, and he sounds completely freaked out, which makes no sense. Now that Bruce is awake, and he has his breath back, he feels—

 

Like his shirt is both too tight and too loose. Like his pants don’t fit right. Like—

 

“What exactly happened?” Bruce asks.  


“Um, well,” Tony begins, clearly at a loss for words.

 

Bruce tries to sit up, and that’s when he realizes what’s happened. The way his boobs shift under his shirt is a dead giveaway. “Well, this is different.”

 

“I’ll say,” Tony says, sounding just a little hysterical.

 

Bruce is—calm. “Thor said it would wear off?”

 

“Probably,” Tony replies. “We hope.”

 

Other than the obvious changes in his body, Bruce doesn’t actually feel all that different, nor is he all that bothered. After all, he transforms into an enormous green rage monster when he loses control; suddenly waking up in the body of a woman isn’t nearly so worrisome.

 

Bruce still feels like himself, after all, just with slightly different anatomy.

 

Bruce shrugs. “Well, if it doesn’t wear off, I’m sure we’ll deal with it.”

 

Tony’s eyes go wide. “Seriously?”

 

“It could be much worse,” Bruce replies philosophically. “I could be the Other Guy permanently, and turning the city into rubble. I have perspective.”

 

Tony grimaces, and Bruce isn’t sure that Tony can say the same thing. “This isn’t a problem for you, is it?” he asks Tony.

 

“No!” Tony says, almost too quickly. “Of course not. I like boobs, and from what I can see, yours aren’t too bad.”

 

Bruce laughs. “I guess that’s something.” He pauses. “Wait, didn’t you say that Steve had gotten hit by something?”

 

“I’m not worried about Steve,” Tony snaps, but he offers Bruce a hand up.

 

When they regroup as a team, Steve looks—well, Amazonian wouldn’t be a stretch. He’s tall and incredibly built, although he still has the same haircut he’d had before getting hit, as does Bruce.

 

“This is different,” Steve says, his voice a little higher than usual. He bounces on his toes experimentally and blushes.

 

Bruce does his best to hide his smile. “You’re probably going to want to get a bra or two,” he says.

 

He’s had girlfriends in the past, and he’s well aware of what’s required as far as undergarments go. Bruce has every intention of finding some well-fitting sports bras soon.

 

Steve blushes an even deeper red. “Uh, yeah. Right.”

 

“I’ll take care of him,” Natasha says, sounding slightly exasperated.

 

Clint and Tony are sniggering, although Thor appears completely serious as he says, “I apologize, my friends. This is considered a means to gain a wider range of sexual experiences on Asgard.”

 

Bruce laughs. “Of course it is. Don’t worry about it, Thor. It’s not your fault. You said it would wear off?”

 

“Within the week,” Thor replies. “Although the people of Midgard may respond differently. If that is the case, I will go back to Asgard and consult our healers.”

 

“I’m sure we’ll survive,” Bruce replies. “But right now, I’m kind of tired.”

 

The problem is that while Bruce needs a ride back to the Tower, no one seems to want to be in a car with him. It’s like they think he’s going to explode at any moment. Tony has to fly back to the Tower to get out of the suit, and Bruce doesn’t really want to wait for Tony to return with a car.

 

He could walk, but he’s tired and achy, and he doesn’t see why he should have to when there are plenty of vehicles, and he’s perfectly calm.

 

“I’ll take care of you, doc,” Clint says. “Agent Blake! I need your car.”

 

Blake doesn’t hesitate to toss the keys to one of the SHIELD SUVs to Clint.

 

“Thanks,” Bruce says as he climbs into the passenger seat.

 

“Don’t worry about it,” Clint says easily. “I figure if you haven’t gone green yet, you won’t.”

 

Bruce snorts. “It’s just another kind of transformation, you know. At least I’m still myself.”

 

Clint shrugs. “I suppose you would have a slightly different perspective.”

 

Bruce really _is_ tired, and he leans his head against the window. “I imagine that Steve is going to have a harder time with it.”

 

“Maybe,” Clint says. “Natasha will take care of him, though, and Steve’s gone through his own transformation before.”

 

Clint drops him off in the parking garage under the building, right in front of the private elevator, and Bruce leans against the wall as it heads up to the Penthouse.

 

“Welcome home, Dr. Banner,” Jarvis says, and maybe it’s stupid, but at least Jarvis isn’t treating him any differently.

 

“Thanks, Jarvis. How is Tony?” he asks.

 

“Pacing,” Jarvis replies. “I believe he’s anxious for your arrival.”

 

Bruce chuckles wearily. “You know, it would just figure that me turning into a woman is what would faze him. The Other Guy never did.”

 

Jarvis doesn’t reply to that, possibly because discretion is the better part of valor in this case.

 

Really, even if it doesn’t wear off, Bruce is pretty sure this isn’t the worst thing to ever happen to him.

 

Tony’s waiting for him in the common room of the Tower when Bruce exits the elevator, and he immediately says, “Okay, you know I love you just the way you are.”

 

Bruce sighs. It looks like they’re going to talk about this, even though all he really wants to do is get horizontal. “It’s fine, Tony.”

 

“It’s just that I can’t help but think that I would be freaking out in your shoes,” Tony continues.

 

Bruce can see where Tony’s coming from. He imagines that most people wouldn’t be thrilled to wind up in the body of the opposite gender. “I’m really okay.”

 

“Good.” Tony gives him a lightning quick grin. “I’ve already ordered you a few things.”

 

Bruce groans. “Tony…”

 

“Trust me, you’ll love them,” Tony says. “Also, I’ve been thinking about what Thor said.”

 

Bruce tries to sort through what Thor had said that Tony might be referring to—he really needs a nap. “Oh, about the sex thing?”

 

Tony smirks and closes the distance between them. “It’s not every day that you get to have sex for science!”

 

“Later,” Bruce insists, although he feels a stirring of scientific curiosity. After all, this is an opportunity to gather data—not that it’s information he’ll probably ever use, but he’s a scientist.

 

Bruce believes in knowledge for its own sake.

 

Tony has a few inches on him now, and he tugs Bruce in for a kiss. It’s a little strange to feel smaller than Tony, but the kiss feels like any other kiss Bruce has shared with him—and then Tony palms one of Bruce’s new breasts, and oh, _that’s_ different.

 

Bruce arches into the touch, and Tony grins against his mouth, nipping Bruce’s lower lip. “Good?”

 

“Yeah,” he says, feeling a little breathless. And then he yawns.

 

Tony laughs at him. “Come on. You can nap while I make plans.”

 

~~~~~

 

The thing is, Steve _likes_ women, but he’s never been completely comfortable around them. He’d never really had a chance to _get_ comfortable—his mom had been the only woman he’d had close contact with up until his time with the USO, and he’d been uncomfortable with the attention the chorus girls paid him.

 

Half of them had hit on him in a way that made him freeze up, and half of them had obviously looked down on him for not being on the front line, when their brothers and fathers and other family members were.

 

So, here he is in a dressing room with Natasha handing him things through the door.

 

“Um,” he says intelligently when she offers a handful of bras. He’s not stupid; he might not have a lot of experience with women, but he can figure out how a bra works.

 

The problem is how to put it on, when the hooks are behind his back.

 

“Hook it in front, then adjust and put the straps on,” Natasha advises him. “I’ll see if I can find bras with front hooks.”

 

“No, it’s okay, I’ve got it,” Steve insists. “I just—need practice.”

 

“To be fair, even if you had experience taking bras off other people, it’s a little different this way,” Natasha replies, sounding incredibly amused.

 

Steve blows out a breath. “Really? You’re going there?”

 

“Sorry,” Natasha replies, but she doesn’t sound it. “Are you okay?”

 

“I’m a little uncomfortable,” Steve admits, staring at his breasts in the mirror. He’s seen porn and pin-ups before—he’s not _that_ innocent—but this is the first pair of naked breasts he’s had a chance to touch, and the fact that they belong to _him_ just adds to the strangeness.

 

Natasha pauses. “Do you want me to come in there?”

 

“Not really,” Steve replies. “I’ll get it figured out.”

 

He struggles into a plain beige one and wonders why he can get into a parachute in seconds and not a bra.

 

“I’m coming in,” Natasha warns him.

 

Since he’s forgotten to lock the door, she slips inside with no problem. “If it makes you feel any better, you make a very attractive woman,” she says.

 

Steve is still about six feet tall, and he has broad shoulders, although his hips are wider, and his breasts feel _really big_. He crosses his arms, covering them up, and says, “Uh…”

 

“Relax,” Natasha replies. “This is friendly.”

 

Steve thinks, but doesn’t actually say, “You have friends?”

 

“Stop that,” Natasha says, like she’s reading his mind. “Clint is my friend. I’d do the same thing for him, although he has far more experience removing bras, so I’d probably laugh at him a lot more.”

 

“Thanks, I think,” Steve says, and watches as Natasha deftly adjusts the straps on the bra. It’s actually not that different from the straps on a parachute, and if he thinks about it like that, he might get through this.

 

“There,” Natasha says. “How does that feel?”

 

It should feel odd to have Natasha in the dressing room with him, but it doesn’t. He’s grateful for her help, especially since he no longer feels like his boobs are dragging him down.

 

“Good,” Steve says honestly.

 

“Great, we’ll get a few of those, and then start looking for other clothes that fit.”

 

Steve frowns. “Wait, what? Why? I thought the bra would help.”

 

Natasha snorts. “It’s going to help, but not in the way you think. Congratulations on your inside look into a woman’s world, Steve.”

 

She isn’t wrong. T-shirts don’t fit the same way they used to, and seem to be either too baggy or too loose. Button down shirts tend to gape around his chest. Steve has no idea what size pants he should wear, because every pair seemed to be cut differently.

 

“How does anybody do this?” he finally demands.

 

Natasha gives him a long look. “Well, you could wear sweatpants all the time.”

 

“Let’s do that,” Steve says a little desperately. “I can hide out until this wears off.”

 

Natasha actually laughs at him. “Suck it up, Cap. If we’re called out before you’re back to your usual self, you’re going to need a uniform that fits. And in the meantime, you need something to wear.”

 

Steve gives her a plaintive look. “Seriously?”

 

“Women do this all the time, you’ll be fine,” Natasha says ruthlessly.

 

Steve is used to going to one store for all his needs, but there are apparently five stores they have to go to, and each one has something else he needs. At least Natasha doesn’t insist on makeup, or anything beyond the basics.

 

And her recommendation for underwear is much appreciated, because his usual boxer briefs no longer fit, particularly under his new pants.

 

“What am I going to do with all of this when I got back to normal?” Steve protests.

 

“Pitch the undergarments and donate the rest,” Natasha advises. “A lot of homeless shelters need good clothing, but they won’t usually get them in your size. There are plenty of people who will use it.”

 

That makes Steve feel a little better. “Okay, yeah. I can do that.”

 

“Are you okay with this?” Natasha asks.

 

Steve shrugs. “It’s weird but—I don’t know. If it doesn’t wear off, that will be tough, but as a temporary thing, I can handle it.”

 

He doesn’t know that it’s temporary, of course, but Steve believes Thor. He believes that it will wear off, or that they’ll find a fix somehow.

 

Natasha gives him a long look, and asks, “Have you ever had sex?”

 

Steve doesn’t want to answer her, mostly because he’s come to realize that his status as a virgin is even more of a talking point now than it was 70 years ago. “Define sex.”

 

Natasha smiles. “Steve, think how much better you’ll be in bed if you know what it’s like to be a woman.”

 

Steve _does_ think about it, and she’s right, but he’s not attracted to men, and so he doesn’t think that’s feasible. Maybe, _maybe_ , if Bucky were here they might be able to fool around, but that’s mostly just because Steve would trust him.

 

And then her meaning hits him, and he stares at her. “Wait, what?”

 

“I’ll show you the ropes,” Natasha offers. “It will be fun.”

 

And Steve knows that’s all she’s offering—fun. No strings attached, nothing serious, and he thinks it might make things easier in the long run, if he can come across like he knows what he’s doing, should he ever find someone he wants to date. Steve isn’t one for casual, but that’s only because he wants to be with someone he likes and respects, and Natasha fills both categories.

 

But everyone assumes that he should know what he’s doing, just because of how he looks, and he doesn’t really.

 

He never has.

 

“Okay,” Steve says tentatively. “But I don’t want to put you out.”

 

Natasha smiles a secret smile and presses her hand against his flat stomach. “There is no hardship here, although I would still help you even if you weren’t interested.”

 

Natasha scares him a little bit, but then, Steve figures that there’s no woman who will be quite as intimidating as she is.

 

He likes her, and he trusts her, and he’s not really himself right now.

 

“Yes,” he says, before he can think better of it. “I’d like that.”

 

Natasha grins. “Yes, you will.”

 

~~~~~

 

Bruce wakes up to the feeling of lips on his bare stomach, and he hisses as Tony’s beard scratches the smooth skin.

 

“You are far less hairy than you were this morning,” Tony says, warm breath puffing against Bruce’s sensitive skin.

 

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” he asks, waking fully and lifting his head.

 

“Different thing,” Tony says. “How does it feel?”

 

“More sensitive?” Bruce knows it sounds like he’s guessing.

 

Tony tongues his belly button. “More data needed, then.”

 

Bruce had changed into one of Tony’s t-shirts before crawling into bed, and Tony pushes his hand up further under the fabric so that he’s just brushing the underside of one of Bruce’s breasts.

 

“T-shirt off,” Tony says. “I happen to like boobs, and I’d like to get to know yours while you still have them.”

 

Bruce huffs a laugh and sits up just enough so that Tony can pull his shirt off. “Are you going to miss them terribly?”

 

Tony looks him in the eyes, his expression serious. “Maybe, but I kind of miss your dick right now, so I’ll probably get over it quickly. You’ll just have to remind me how great your usual body is.”

 

“And until then, sex for science?” Bruce asks.

 

Tony grins. “That’s the plan.”

 

He takes his time with Bruce’s boobs, with his hands and his mouth, licking and sucking and testing things out.

 

Bruce had done the same in the past, and his nipples are generally sensitive, but this feels like _more_.

 

“Good?” Tony asks. “Use your words, Bruce. Scientific discovery requires feedback.”

 

“Good,” he manages. “Yeah. Definitely different.” Tony licks his nipple. “Do that again.”

 

Tony actually sits back on his heels. “Oh, I think we’ve gathered all the necessary data from that erogenous zone.”

 

Bruce might actually make a noise that would be really embarrassing if he weren’t so turned on right now. “You are a terrible human being.”

 

“You’re going to be changing your tune here in a minute,” Tony replies smugly. “You’ll have to let me know if oral sex is better as a woman, at least on the receiving end.”

 

Tony pulls Bruce’s shorts off and then stares.

 

“Aren’t you supposed to be doing something right about now?” Bruce asks.

 

“I’m just planning my attack,” Tony replies. “Changed landscape, and all.”

 

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Bruce says. “Move it, you asshole.”

 

Tony smirks. “Impatient, are we?”

 

“Yes!” Bruce protests.

 

“Good news for me,” Tony replies, and then his callused hands spread Bruce’s thinner, smoother thighs wider. The first lick to Bruce’s clit has him crying out. It’s different. He doesn’t know if it’s more intense or less intense, but it’s different.

 

He doesn’t even think he’d be able to put into words how it’s different, but the differences are new and overwhelming, and he comes with Tony’s mouth on his clit and his fingers roughly fucking him.

 

And then Tony grabs a condom, and he’s balls-deep in Bruce a moment later, and he fucks Bruce hard, still rubbing Bruce’s clit, and suddenly Bruce can feel another orgasm building. “Oh, fuck.”

 

Tony grins broadly. “You forgot about that, didn’t you?”

 

To be honest, Bruce hadn’t even thought about the possibility of multiple orgasms. “Uh, yeah,” he says breathlessly.

 

“Do you know, I think my personal best is four orgasms in a night with a partner,” Tony says. “What do you say we try to beat that?”

 

Bruce can’t find it in himself to object.

 

~~~~~

 

Steve steps into Natasha’s rather cozy apartment. He’s not sure what he’d expected, but it’s not this.

 

“I might not be here often, but I like to feel at home while I am,” she says, apparently reading his mind.

 

The furniture is neither new nor old, slightly overstuffed and comfortable looking. There are framed art prints on the walls and rugs on the scarred wooden floors that appear foreign and expensive. The colors are muted, but warm, and there’s a cat sitting outside the window on the fire escape, letting out plaintive mews.

 

“Ignore her,” Natasha says. “She thinks she owns me, and she doesn’t.”

 

Steve smiles. “Isn’t that the way of cats?”

 

“Are you a cat person?” she asks.

 

“I’ve had a few I fed,” Steve admits. “Never had the room or the time for a dog, and cats can be good company.”

 

Natasha smiles. “Do you really want to talk about cats?”

 

“I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do,” Steve admits. “I never got this far before.”

 

Natasha goes to the kitchen and pulls out a couple of shot glasses and a bottle of vodka. “How far have you gotten?”

 

“I promised a girl a dance,” Steve says. “A few kisses. I never really had the time for anything else.”

 

“I’ve had sex with a lot of marks,” Natasha offers. “My enjoyment was not paramount; getting what I needed was. It has taken me time to learn what it means not to use sex as a weapon.”

 

Steve shifts uncomfortably. “You don’t have to do this.”

 

“I know,” Natasha replies. “But I trust you, and I like you, and I can be the teacher here. And I would like to help you.”

 

Steve throws back the shot, even though the alcohol won’t have an effect on him. “Okay. I—it would be nice. To not feel like I’m missing out on something this big. No one expects me to, you know.”

 

“It won’t matter with the right person,” Natasha says gently. “With the right person, you will be able to tell them about this night, and they will be glad that your first time was with a friend.”

 

“Is that what we are?” Steve asks.

 

Natasha hitches a shoulder. “As much as anyone in our line of work can be friends.”

 

Steve frowns. “No, don’t do that. Don’t deflect. You wouldn’t have offered if we weren’t something like friends.”

 

“Something like,” Natasha agrees. “I want to do this, is that enough?”

 

Steve hesitates, because this still seems momentous, and maybe he shouldn’t, but at the same time, Natasha has a point. With the right woman, he’ll have a good idea of how things work, and he can make it better for her.

 

Plus, Steve has never really understood women; this is a chance to broaden his knowledge.

 

“Yes,” he says.

 

Natasha smiles. “Let’s start with a kiss, then.”

 

Steve’s experience with kissing is nearly as limited as his experience with sex, but Natasha’s lips are soft and clever. He lets her take the lead, deepening the kiss slowly, adding tongue, and it’s nice. It’s better than nice, actually, and he feels a pleasant hum of arousal start low in his belly.

 

He runs a hand down her sides, landing on her hips, and he squeezes gently. She makes an encouraging noise, and his hands dip a little lower.

 

His anatomy may have changed, but his desires haven’t, and his hands slide around to her ass. “Good,” she says, breaking off the kiss for a moment. “You can squeeze harder, at least with me.”

 

He does, and she returns the favor, letting him feel it. Steve mirrors her actions—when she touches his breasts, he does the same. When she slides her hands up under his new shirt, he untucks her shirt and finds the bare skin of her back.

 

Steve has no experience to draw on. He has no idea if it’s all that different, but it feels good to have her touch his bare skin, to pull off his shirt and unhook his bra, to palm his new breasts and thumb his nipples.

 

She’s gentle as she nudges him back to her bedroom, which is basically big enough for her bed and a small dresser and no more. Natasha helps Steve out of his clothing and then strips down, and then she uses her mouth on Steve’s breasts, and on his—

 

He can’t quite make himself think the words, but Natasha’s tongue and fingers are clever, and Steve comes rather quickly.

 

Natasha allows him a few minutes of recovery, and then she says, “Your turn. Each woman is different, so pay attention.”

 

Steve thinks he knows that much, but he does as ordered, using his fingers and mouth to bring her off, adjusting when necessary, learning what works and what doesn’t.

 

When she’s come, she says, “You do know that some women can have multiple orgasms, don’t you?”

 

Steve had gathered as much from locker room talk, and he smiles. “Are you challenging me, Agent Romanoff?”

 

“Let’s see how well you do,” she says.

 

He brings her off again, and then she returns the favor, and Steve laughs at one point, because it feels good, and less fraught than he thought his first sexual experience would be.

 

It’s Natasha, and she hasn’t laughed at him, and it’s good.

 

“You’re a quick learner and a conscientious partner,” she says, when they’re both lying boneless and sated on her bed. “You’ll do fine.”

 

Steve hesitates, and then asks, “Can we do this again? After I’m back to normal?” At her sharp look, he adds, “Just as friends, and just to—you know, compare experiences. I thought we both might have some fun.”

 

She smiles at him warmly. “If you’d like.”

 

“I’d like my first time to be with a friend,” he says honestly. “And, well, I trust you.”

 

Some complicated emotion crosses her face, and then she nods. “You might regret that.”

 

“I doubt it,” Steve replies, and means it.

 

~~~~~

 

A week to the say after the incident, Bruce wakes up completely back to normal, and having female anatomy almost seems like a very strange dream.

 

Not a bad dream, though. He and Tony had made sure of that.

 

Steve is also back to normal, and when he calls and asks if Bruce would be willing to get coffee, Bruce agrees.

 

He has some complicated emotions around Steve, but they also have a number of things in common, not including their most recent experience.

 

“How are you?” Bruce asks, wrapping his hands around the ceramic mug full of tea.

 

Steve shrugs. “I won’t lie. It’s good to be back to normal, but it was nice to see how the other half of the population lives.”

 

Bruce raises an eyebrow. “I hardly think that our experiences give us all that much insight into the experiences of the vast majority of women.”

 

Steve appears a little abashed. “True enough. How are you?”

 

“Fine,” Bruce says sanguinely as he sips his tea.

 

“And now?”

 

Bruce raises an eyebrow. “Also fine. Like I was about two seconds ago when you asked. Why?”

 

“I just—” Steve stops, reconsiders, and then finally says, “there were things I liked.”

 

Bruce considers that for a moment. “I think that’s good. Healthy, even. They say the grass is always greener, but there’s nothing wrong with finding appreciation for how the other half lives, even if it’s not where you are.”

 

Steve seems to relax a bit at that. “Yeah, that’s it exactly. I man, Natasha—” He stops cold.

 

Bruce can guess. “It’s good that you had a friend to show you the ropes.”

 

Steve bobs his head. “Thanks. I guess maybe it wasn’t as weird for you, being with Tony all this time.”

 

Bruce smiles. “Oh, we had our rough patches, but Tony has never been one to pass up scientific experimentation.”

 

Steve grins. “Is that what you’re calling it?”

 

“What would you call it?”

 

“A really good learning experience?” Steve hazards.

 

“That, too,” Bruce agrees, and they share the knowing smile of two people who have walked the same path and have come out the other side.

 

And really, they’re two men who have been transformed on more than one occasion, and have emerged intact. Bruce thinks that might actually be something to be proud of.


End file.
